Finding the Pirate's Booty

For months my dad planned to do a treasure hunt with Deets and Margo once they arrived. An ever meticulous man, he prepared the materials. The route. The execution. The booty. A few nights prior we sat down to sketch out the maps, and finalize them on properly burned parchment paper rolled into a scroll. He made a series of 4 maps that were hidden in the brush, paired with dinosaurs, clues to the next set. We set out on foot on a Sunday morning just as the sun rose over the ridge, undaunted by the scattered bleach white bones of animals past. We climbed past resting unicorns, defied the dragons and territorial snakes, and expertly maneuvered the Knee-Gash Narrows and ending up in a cave hidden from view by a tangle of agonizingly pokey dead tree branches. Deets and Margo discovered their booty here, a box full of fresh memories and those minted from my dad's childhood: Silly Putty, face paint, chocolate coins, Slinkies and Topps Ugly Stickers. Obviously the kids loved it and have since been scheming to go on another hunt. My favorite part was watching Deets go from being intimidated in reading maps, to independently navigating them- an obvious and meaningful life lesson. 

Discussion of navigating through Knee-Gash Narrows and past the rattle snake.

The walking stick- another wildly successful purchase.

Onto the next generation-
I saw this unicorn myself back in 1987.

The fiery dragon.

Not so fiery dragon.
Or maybe it's a cartoon dinosaur?

Leading with courage.

The big moment.

Carefully exiting the cave.

Reaping the rewards.